1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power loaders adapted to be mounted on tractors and is more particularly concerned with quick attachment type loaders which are self-supporting when detached from a tractor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Front end power loaders are today commonly used as attachments mounted on tractors. It is therefore desirable that such loaders be simple and easily mounted and detached and that the effort and time required for mounted or detaching be minimized.
In the past, power loaders were secured to tractors by means which required time consuming effort to mount and then subsequently detach each time the tractor was required for use other than with the loader. Such loaders were often bolted to the tractor frame, or in another form, mounting plates were first secured to the tractor and the loader then attached to the mounting plates. These methods not only resulted in excessive operator downtime, but also required that the operator have readily available whatever miscellaneous hand tools as might be necessary.
Storage of many detachable loaders was often accomplished by supporting the loader on a stand or other supplemental apparatus. Not only did this arrangement require that each loader be provided with its own stand, but in addition, whenever the operator wanted to store the loader or remove it temporarily, the loader had to be either transported to the location where the stand was or the stand had to be moved to the desired storage location. To align this type loader with the tractor during mounting or demounting required that the loader be supported. As a result, makeshift or temporary stands were often made, these stands were often unsteady and created an unsafe mounting or demounting situation. Similarly, these same stands were then used to store the loader, thereby causing an unsafe storage situation from which injuries could easily result.
Another type of loader apparatus provided for securing the loader to the sides of the tractor frame, alongside the engine compartment. This means of securing the loader to the tractor resulted in the transfer of those forces encountered while operating the loader to the tractor frame sides or top. Such loading can cause severe structural deformation to the tractor.
Another type of self-supporting loader apparatus utilizes the frame of the loader apparatus as both the supporting structure when mounted on the tractor and as a supporting stand when detached from the tractor. In this type of loader, the main frame is manipulated from a working position horizontal alongside the tractor to an inclined ground-engaging and self-supporting position. This manipulation is effected as the tractor moves relative to the frame by extending and retracting the hydraulic cylinders normally used for operating the implement and its supporting boom structure. With this type of self-supporting implement, it often is necessary for the hydraulic pistons to be extended for undetermined lengths of time wherein the pistons are adversely exposed to the elements and are therefore subject to accellerated corrosion and pitting.
The present invention provides a structure which requires little effort to mount or dismount it, and can be mounted or dismounted very quickly. No supplementary mounting plates, bolts, or tools are required, and one man can easily and simply perform the loader mounting or dismounting. No mounting plates or channels project from the tractor side or front.
The present structure requires no supplemental apparatus such as a stand for storage. The loader is stored with the frame level on the ground thereby avoiding unstable and unsafe storage situations. This permits mounting and dismounting of the loader to the tractor to be accomplished at any chosen site, by a single person or operator and without the use or necessity of providing additional or supplemental auxillary equipment such as stands or jacks.
The loader when mounted is attached to the tractor undercarriage and thereby transfers loading forces directly to the tractor main frame. Accordingly, a smaller tractor can be used with the loader and no structural damage will result to the tractor.
It is therefore highly desirable and an object of this present invention to provide a power loader having a frame or base which rests level with ground when dismounted and which is easily mounted to the undercarriage of the tractor.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide a stable support structure requiring no stands or other supplemental apparatus, such that upon receipt of an inadvertent bump when in a stored condition, the loader will maintain its stability.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide means enabling one man to easily and simply attach the loader to the tractor undercarriage in a short time and without requiring any miscellaneous equipment or hand tools.